


Footprints In The Snow

by beautifulmidnight



Series: Footprints In The Snow [1]
Category: Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: Battle, F/M, Making Love, Snow, Winter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-25
Updated: 2014-09-10
Packaged: 2018-02-14 16:45:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2199360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beautifulmidnight/pseuds/beautifulmidnight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Janus and Callum are to clear out a fort and claim it in the name of Caesar and his Legion, but the mission is much more complicated than they originally thought.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Janus

**Author's Note:**

> Janus is my original Fallout New Vegas character and Callum Ex Ferro is my friend Drew's original Fallout New Vegas character. I've been roleplaying a lot with Janus and wanted to write a fic with her and Callum. Today is Drew's birthday (Happy Birthday, Drew!) and I was hoping to have this finished by now, but alas, it's not meant to be. I hope he likes it so far!
> 
> If anyone takes a liking to Callum, he makes appearances in my friend Silus' fics...check them out @silusagustus  
> Callum makes the vaguest of hints about Janus in them.
> 
> More of my works (like Tango) will be posted soon-ish, I just need to figure out where I stored everything when I wiped my computer. :\ 
> 
> (And please do **not** use Callum Ex Ferro without Drew's permission, nor is anyone allowed to use Janus without mine.)

Cumulous clouds colored silvery-grey obscured the sky. They gathered faster than Janus had predicted and the temperature was dropping rapidly. She tightened the strings that held her hood close to her head and wrapped a faded bandana over her nose and mouth.

The weather around Jacobstown was pleasant for her. So used to the heat, she delighted in the fat fluffy flakes that fell from the sky and covered everything in a smooth white blanket. It made the forest look fresh and pure, unsoiled by radiation and the junk of men. It was a beautiful sight to behold, but she had to remind herself she wasn’t out here to enjoy nature’s wintery display.

It would be dark soon. She didn’t desire to make camp, but Callum Ex Ferro, her superior, closest confidant, and sometimes lover made it clear they would be stopping. He didn’t talk about it, but when he spoke of winter his eyes had a haunted look about them, like he was remembering something from the past that he wished didn’t exist. She knew he came from Detroit and that the winter there was almost of the nuclear type, but he wouldn’t speak of it in any detail. She left the matter alone.

She had known him since he was a lowly recruit. She saved him from the harshness of the desert that threatened to chew him up and spit him out. Seeing that he was now a Centurion with his own century amazed her. She was proud of him. His century showed him unswerving devotion and they all feared him. It was lovely to see him command and have them obey. But today, the only warrior in his ‘century’ was her.

There were rumors of an abandoned settlement north of Jacobstown. Caesar wanted to use it for a small outpost if the buildings could be salvaged. Janus was to check it out, clean out any squatters if they were present, and report back to Caesar. Callum was given his own agenda for which she had no knowledge of.

“Halt,” Callum commanded.

Janus frowned underneath her bandanna. Was it time to make camp already? She kept walking, hissing “ _Cedo nulli_ ,” under her breath.

“Janus!”

She stopped. Damn it. He had to say her name. He knew that always made her pause. She liked that he called her by her true name, and not the one the Legion had given her. She turned heel and faced him. “Yes, Centurion?”

“We make camp for the night.”

She nodded. “As you command.”

“Only set up one tent. The weather is getting worse. I’m going to build a fire.”

She almost asked ‘with what?’ but she kept her mouth closed. She learned long ago not to question him. She slid her pack off her shoulders and began assembling the tent.

 

~

 

Not even fifteen minutes had passed and Callum had built a strong fire. Janus finished setting up the tent and the two sat side by side of the opening, their knees lightly touching. Each had finished their dinner, as evidenced by the two empty cans of beans that lay covered in snow by the fire.

“We should sleep. Hopefully the snow will have stopped by early morning.”

He sounded tired, whereas she felt tired. “What if it hasn’t stopped snowing?”

He gazed at her, his light colored eyes heavy with exhaustion. “We pack up camp and keep moving.”

“Is that wise?”

He half-smiled. He looked so beautiful in the evening snowfall with the fire illuminating his soft features. “No, it isn’t. But we’re already a day behind. We have another two days of hiking. We can’t hide in our tent the whole time.”

She sniffed. “Who said anything about hiding? I was hoping we’d be fucking.”

He laughed. “In this weather?”

She shrugged. “Why not? What, you’ve never done it in snow before? I figure with you being from Detroit this would be…I mean, snow is your element isn’t it?”

“No.”

She made a face. She shivered, cursing for not bringing enough warm clothes. She stared at the fire, hoping by sheer will alone she could leech more heat from it and absorb it into her body.

Something heavy settled over her shoulders. Janus noticed it was Callum’s furred cloak. He now wore only his armor and he clearly was cold without it. She sighed.

“Come to bed. We’ll warm each other up,” she smiled.

He complied.

 

~

 

Their bodies were entwined, locked in the most passionate of embraces. They only had one sleeping bag but the warmth they were generating, they had no need of one. Janus rocked her hips against Callum’s, her legs wrapped around his waist. They didn’t appear as two separate individuals, but rather as one entity.

It was romantic out here in the snow with Callum. Watching his shadow flicker against the canvas as he moved inside her had Janus mesmerized. As they climaxed together, she would make sure they had this opportunity again.

 

~

 

 

The morning dawned and the snow had not stopped falling. After breakfast, they packed up camp and headed back out on the trail. Callum had tied a rope around both their waists so they couldn’t be separated. Although she didn’t know why it was necessary as his bright crimson armor could be seen for miles and she couldn’t possibly lose him in the storm because of it.

The beauty of the snow had lost its novelty, and Janus wished it would all melt. At least then she wouldn’t have to be tied to Callum like a pack Brahmin following a merchant. If she had to be tied at all, she’d prefer the silken sashes that Vulpes used to restrain her to his bed that one time. Being ‘chained’ to Callum was a stark reminder that she hadn’t shared her bed with anyone but him since she met him.

Vulpes didn’t seem to care. He still sent her expensive gifts, ones of extravagance that even she felt was too much. Callum’s gifts were much more useful and personal…or maybe it was just the simple fact she favored Callum over Vulpes and thus felt Vulpes’ gifts would always be inferior.

Around her neck, she wore Callum’s old holotags. In between the tags was a golden bull with a steel band wrapped around its midsection. She didn’t accept his proposal, not outright, because he never officially asked her to marry him. Callum was smart enough to know she liked being a mercenary and serving the Legion. To ‘marry’ him meant she’d be stuck back at the Fort or wherever he was to reside, raising his children and hanging out with the other wives. Many times over she felt the ring was a symbol of how special she was to him, and she was okay with that idea.

She didn’t want marriage, and, she suspected, he didn’t want that for her either. He was happy to let her do as she pleased and she knew he did as he pleased. She couldn’t argue with him on the subject – she was a woman, no matter how different her standing was with the Legion, and he was a Centurion. She had to obey him. Whether he found affection elsewhere, she was not sure. Even if he did, Janus knew she was his favorite.

What she was sure of though, was that she wanted him always. Brilliant, beautiful, and lethal Callum Ex Ferro. She smiled smugly. No one could take her dearest warrior away from her…they’d most assuredly die trying.

“ _Claudeo_ *,” he called out.

Janus snapped out of her thoughts. She placed a hand on his shoulder to let him know she heard him. He turned around and said,

“There are foot prints. We’re not alone.”

He pointed a few feet ahead of them, and human-sized boot imprints were being rapidly covered by snow.

“How far are we from the settlement?” she asked.

“We made great time this morning. We should get there by late afternoon.”

“Will we have enough light?”

“Daylight will fade fast. We better get moving,” was all he said.

“I will follow your command,” she nodded.

Callum picked up the pace and Janus stumbled behind him. She wasn’t used to walking in snow. She knew if she were a recruit he would not hesitate to leave her behind or discipline her. She was thankful she wasn’t in that position. Callum was…quite brutal.

It was one of the many reasons she loved him.

As the afternoon wore on, the snow finally stopped. She could see in front of her once more, and Callum untied the rope around her waist. She whispered something in his ear about keeping the rope for later and he smirked, nodding his agreement. He snapped back into his commanding role.

“Just another hour and we’ll be within range of the settlement,” he announced.

She hoped so. She was numb from the waist down.

He put the rope back in her pack and Janus could sense a nervous energy in him. He frowned, and when he made the move to walk away from her, he avoided her eyes. She reached out for his arm.

“ _Amatus**_ ,” she said softly. “You are keeping something from me.”

“I am. But I have my reasons.”

She let the subject drop and continued walking alongside him.

Daylight would be gone soon, and they needed to hurry.

 

~

 

Callum led them off the main road, approaching the settlement from the northeast instead of straight north. They hid their packs behind a tree and began checking their weapons. Janus blushed at the sight of the young Centurion’s machete. The grip was a golden eagle, the blade so sharp and clean it gleamed and she swore she could see her reflection in it. It was a gift she had given him – indirectly—some time ago. He then holstered his .45 auto pistol and his trail carbine.

It may have been a bit overkill, but Janus knew how deadly he could be with his bare hands, and it didn’t matter how many weapons he carried, he could slaughter ten men with one of his hands tied behind his back.

She tore her gaze away from him and focused on her own weapons. She brought her sniper rifle and a 9mm, as well as a machete that Callum insisted she bring along. _‘Weapons can jam’_ he always said. She sniffed.

“Talk to me. What’s the plan?” she asked with a sigh.

“I’ll take point. You follow.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

“ _Amatus**…”_ she tried not to whine.

He ignored her and she knew better than to argue with him. He was battle ready. She nodded and reluctantly followed him, her 9mm out of its holster and ready to fire.

The settlement, if it could be called that, was nothing more than an abandoned fort with a few ramshackle cabins surrounding it. A flag pole in the center of the fort was home to a drooping white flag. The place seemed devoid of human life, except for the fact there were more footprints. These prints were smaller, and if Janus didn’t know any better, they belonged to children.

Something wasn’t right.

Her skin crawled and an icy shiver made its way down her back. She suddenly got the feeling they were being watched. She wanted to say something to Callum but refrained. She felt if she even breathed the wrong way whoever was watching them would swarm in and kill them both.

A flash of movement caught her eye and she immediately fell into a crouch. She crouch walked to a set up of old crates and hid behind them. It was rare for her to feel so off-guard, but seldom did a job feel this wrong.

From her position she could see Callum sticking to the shadows. He glanced behind himself and stared directly at the crates she was hiding behind. She wondered how he always seemed to know where she was located. She stuck her hand out and waved quickly before pulling it back.

She continued to crouch-walk, passing underneath an open window. She froze when she heard someone sneeze. The sneeze turned to sobs, and Janus knew it belonged to a child. She approached the doorway and glanced inside. The cabin was dark, save for a small metal barrel with a slowly dying fire inside.

In the far off corner sat over a dozen small children, each of varying ages, but none over the age of twelve. They were tied together and while most were sleeping, the littlest ones were quietly weeping. A pile of gore bags rested in another corner, dripping with blood from the mutilated organs inside. Janus gagged, the smell finally reaching her olfactory senses.

She made her way towards the children, taking extra care to keep her footsteps silent. One of them spotted her and the child’s face lit up. Janus put her index finger to her lips and shook her head. The child immediately nodded and sat still.

The young woman knelt in front of the kid and said softly, “How did you get here?”

The child was a little girl, about the age of seven. Her soft blue eyes widened when Janus spoke. She licked her rosy lips, cracked and dry from being without water for days. The Legion contractor pulled out a canteen from her coat pocket and helped the girl drink. Once the girl had her fill, Janus put the canteen down and smoothed the girl’s dirty golden locks away from her face.

She reminded Janus of Harmonia, her twin sister, who had been dead for over a decade.

“The green men stole us,” she said simply. “They have guns and bombs. They took us all and our parents too.”

 _Green Men?_ Janus thought. Then it clicked.

_Super mutants._

“Where are your parents?”

A tear slid down her dirty cheek. “They escaped. They said they’d come back for us but they haven’t…come back…” she started to sob.

The footprints…the snow had covered over most of them so neither she nor Callum could see what direction they came from. Now she knew.

“When your parents left, how long ago was it? Do you remember?”

The girl looked down at her hands. “I don’t know. Not long.”

“And the green men? When did you last see them?”

“I don’t know,” she cried.

The golden haired mercenary rose to her feet, no less uneasy. She’d have to tell Callum what she discovered.

She never got the chance. A massive blue-green arm reached out, its fist closed, and slammed it on the top of her head. She collapsed, barely conscious enough to rise to her feet.

The world turned into a dizzying blur and an overwhelming wave of nausea swallowed her whole. She fought against it, forcing herself to get to her feet. Another blow, this one on her back, and she fell flat on the ground.

“C—Cal…” she tried calling out.

A hot, calloused hand gripped her wrist and dragged her away from her unseen enemy. What happened next she couldn’t decipher. Snarls, a child’s scream, Callum shouting in Latin, the sound of metal against metal, and a sickening thump on the floor silenced it all.

Warmth cupped her face. “Janus… _mea uxor, meus amor, meus mundus***_ …open your eyes.”

Her eyelids fluttered open, and three Callum Ex Ferro’s leaning over her slowly merged into one. He looked pissed.

“Get up, more are surely coming,” he growled.

She reached in her pocket and pulled out med-x, jamming the syringe in her thigh. In ten seconds she could get up.

“There’s no time for that!” he exclaimed angrily.

“Dick,” she muttered under breath. She counted the seconds and when she came to ten, sat up and got to her feet.

“I heard that,” she heard Callum say. “This is a super mutant…base, fort, whatever you want to call it. According to our intel, there are at least six mutants here.”

“Five,” Janus corrected. “What are they doing out here?”

“Reproducing,” he answered. “Who is in here?”

He picked up a glowing lantern from outside and brought it in. His eyes widened when he spotted all the children.

He knelt on one knee in front of a boy, not even bothering to introduce himself. He took his Legion cape and wrapped it protectively around the shivering child. “Why are you here?”

The child looked at least ten years old. His dirty face was stained with tears. He couldn’t meet Callum’s eyes, instead choosing to stare at the crimson of the Centurion’s armor.

“My dad was here. Then he left,” the boy’s lower lip trembled. “The mutant men want to eat us.”

Janus laid a hand on her superior’s shoulder. Callum turned to face her, the light from the lantern now focused on her. She shielded her eyes until he put it down.

“I understand you owe loyalty to the Legion above all things…but I cannot support you when I have no idea _what_ is going on—”

He gave her a pointed look. A look that meant, ‘I was going to tell you, but not at this moment.’

“Enlighten me now, please,” she ordered.

 

* _Halt_

** _Beloved_

*** _My wife, my love, my world_


	2. Callum Ex Ferro

Callum Ex Ferro sighed. He didn’t want to hide anything from Janus. The very idea of keeping secrets from her made his stomach churn. Her blood flowed though his veins. He owed her his life. Everything he had accomplished, everything he was able to do, was a credit to her.

 _Blood through my veins for her,_ he thought. _She alone has all of me. She must know._

“Step aside, we’ll talk over there,” he jerked his head in the direction of the far left corner of the room, far away from the children.

She nodded. He was grateful she was being rational; he took her hand within his and squeezed it. Once they were out of earshot of the children, he began.

“Several months ago the Frumentarii said this fort was full of families, which we could enslave. This is also a good location to set up a small outpost. We have no safe houses this far north.”

He sucked in a breath. “Just recently it came to be known that super mutants took over the fort. Rounded everyone up and started dragging them somewhere else.”

“Why?” Janus asked. Her brow knit in confusion.

Callum preferred not to speak of his days back in Detroit, especially when it came to snow and super mutants. He never thought he would have to face that combination this far west, but yet here he was, doing precisely that.

“Muties steal humans to reproduce,” he answered. “There are six—”

“Five,” she interrupted.

He rolled his eyes. “Five mutants here. We don’t know where they are coming from. There’s a settlement called Jacobstown that is home to some muties, but our intel says they’re all friendly. These,” he cocked his head at the recently filleted mutant on the floor, “are coming from somewhere else entirely.”

“I was given my objective…what was yours?” she inquired, licking her dried lips.

“Find the source and destroy it. It wouldn’t do to have super mutants attack our new outpost.”

She looked down at her boots, wet from trudging in the snow. “There’s something you’re not telling me. I feel it in my bones.”

Callum was shocked. How could she know there was something more? He was going to keep it to himself; Janus didn’t need to know about it. But since she sensed it anyway...The young Centurion inhaled and exhaled, closing his light colored eyes. He didn’t want to see the look on her face when he gave her the news.

“They sent you not only to clear out the fort, but to die.”

If only he could explain to her how he would never let that happen. How he didn’t want her to know because it would upset her…and how he wished he didn’t know, because it tore his heart to pieces. He opened his eyes to see her arms folded across her chest, a look of amusement and disgust playing across her beautiful features.

“What, you think this is the first time they’ve had this idea? We can have a heart-to-heart later. Now, we have to clear out this fort and ship the stronger kids off to the Legion and kill the rest. We better get started. We’ve lost daylight already. Do you approve of this plan, my liege?”

From anyone else, the title would’ve sounded mocking. From her lips, she meant it. Callum fought the blush that threatened to creep up his cheeks. She treated him like a god.

“I approve.”

Happy she wasn’t angry with him, he crushed his lips against hers, sliding a hand underneath her coat and clothing, caressing her soft breasts with his calloused hands. The warmth that greeted him made him hard, and he reluctantly withdrew.

“Let’s do this.”

 

~

 

Outside, the snow had started to fall again. Callum shivered beneath his furred cloak. He hated the snow. The Centurion was more than thankful it wasn’t radioactive snow. Muties loved that shit back in Detroit.

He breathed in until his lungs were full of the fresh, clean night air. His palm rested on the cool metal of his specially forged machete – one of the many gifts from his beloved, though no gift was more precious to him than that of her blood, freely given to him when he was facing death in the desert. He squeezed the golden eagle grip. The weapon was the very first he picked up to defend himself that long time ago and he hadn’t lost a battle with it yet. The machete was almost an extension of his arm and fighting without it made him feel naked.

Callum unsheathed the blade, holding it steady as he stalked the fort for footsteps in the snow with only a small lantern to light his way.

Before he could take another step, the familiar sound of a minigun ripped the air. Callum dove behind a cluster of metal barrels, his lantern tossed aside and now buried in the snow. He sheathed his machete and took out his trail carbine. An ungodly scream rang in his ears.

A mutant was behind him with this sledge raised, aimed right for Callum’s head. The Legion warrior rolled out of the line of fire, the sledge slamming into the metal barrels instead. Many of them burst open and the smell of oil burned his nose.

Another mutant emerged from a cabin with a hunting rifle ready to fire. Again, Callum was the target. Cursing, he rolled away once more before taking cover behind some crates. The minigun ripped through the wooden crates, sending shards of splinters flying in every direction. The Centurion became peppered with cuts but he had no time to pay attention to it now. He crouch-walked as fast as his feet would let him and he took refuge behind a tree.

In the scant few seconds he had, he gathered his strength and popped out from behind the tree, his trail carbine searching for a target. What he saw through his scope made his blood run cold.

On the roof of the tallest structure was a mutant armed with a missile launcher. It was aimed at the cabin he left Janus in.


	3. Janus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short but important.

 

The mercenary wasted no time in doing her part – she quickly untied the children and helped them stand. Most of the girls looked hardy enough to do work and the boys seemed strong. With the right training, the boys would be excellent warriors for the Legion. The only weakness they all shared was fear, and since they were only children, Janus couldn’t blame them for it.

She led them to a window which she promptly opened. She punched the screen open and immediately thereafter pushed a table up against the wall.

“Climb on the table and go out the window,” she instructed. “We need to hurry. Once you make it to the ground, run outside the fort. There’s a tree northeast of here where my gear is. Stay there until I come for you.”

The children obeyed, and she stayed and watched each of them tumble out the window. Only three more children remained and then she could escape herself. The seconds creeped by and at last it was her turn.

As soon as the mercenary’s feet landed on the hard-packed snow, she took off running.

 _Take cover_ , her gut insisted.

The warning came too late. The cabin behind her exploded into a hundred fiery chunks that rained down on her. The force of the explosion sent her to her knees and intense searing heat grazed her backside. Something hard and hot pierced her leg and she would’ve cried out if she had the oxygen.

Her head throbbed and her vision tunneled by the light of a thousand grey stars. What the hell happened? Her body started to go numb and she knew that was a bad sign. Neither the heat nor the cold bothered her.

 _I’m going to die_ , she thought bitterly. _Vulpes will get his wish. But Callum, oh Callum…_

Mechanically, she pried the ring off her necklace and slipped it on. The metal sliced over her sensitive skin and blood oozed from between her fingers. Since she was going to die anyway, she may as well die his wife.

Her world went black and no one noticed half a dozen children crawling towards her, their tiny hands gripping her clothes and dragging her away from the carnage.


	4. Callum Ex Ferro

He refused to believe his eyes. It all happened so fast yet so slow. Time was mired in mud when he watched the missile eject from the launcher and head straight for the cabin. The building was destroyed, its flaming structure sending bits of fiery debris all over the fort. Any other time he would’ve admired the explosion, but now…

Janus was dead.

Rage enraptured his heart. Any piece of him that was human disappeared. With a cry that would instill fear even in the Legate, he fired his trail carbine repeatedly at the mutant with the missile launcher. His gun now empty and the mutant still standing, he threw the weapon away and unsheathed his machete.

Janus was dead.

Like a crimson angel of death, he growled as he ran across the snowy yard, his gleaming weapon rose high, appearing like a light in the darkness. Lightning flashed and a rumble of thunder rolled in the sky. The snow was starting to fall more heavily but it didn’t make him pause.

He could hear the sound of the minigun roaring to life and its bullets piercing the air. He leapt over debris and climbed over barrels and crates until he stood on the roof of one the cabins. Each step of his booted feet heralded a death call for every mutant in the fort.

Janus was dead.

Callum focused only on the mutant with the launcher. He jumped off the roof and gripped the ladder that led to the roof opposite him—right where the mutant stood. He ascended and now stood face to face with his enemy.

The mutant raised his launcher, ready to fire, but Callum was faster. With strength he didn’t know he possessed, his machete met the mutant’s chest. It was buried up to the hilt and the mutant groaned. The young Centurion yanked the blade out and sliced the mutant horizontally across its stomach. Its innards and blood spilled out onto the roof, coating his boots in sickening warmth that made him sick to his stomach.

There wasn’t enough bloodshed to satisfy him. He sliced the mutant’s arms off and then its head. With utter disgust, he picked up the missile launcher covered in guts. He placed it over his shoulder and looked through the scope.

Janus was dead.

This whole fort would burn, he would see to it. The Legion wanted an outpost, they could build it themselves. He found the mutant with the minigun and aimed. Without a second thought, he fired. Flames engulfed the entire cabin, incinerating anything that was near it. There was one more missile at his feet and he used it on the cabin where the mutant with a hunting rifle was hiding.

Whatever mutants that were left were now dead, he assumed. He dropped the useless launcher and stood still, watching the snow and lightning highlight the fiery, crimson soaked scene. His cloak billowed behind him in the cold wind, sending shivers up his spine.

Janus was dead.

He hated the snow.

He hated mutants.

Janus was dead.

He climbed down the ladder and walked through the flickering flames of the now destroyed fort. He wiped his machete clean on the pure white snow, turning the soft flakes green-ish blue and crimson.

Janus was dead.

He vowed to find where these mutants were hiding and exterminate them. His blade would purge this wasteland of the filth that stole Janus from him.

Over and over his mind chanted, _“Janus is dead. Janus is dead. Janus is dead.”_

His heart and limbs heavy, he left the fort to head back to the tree where Janus left her supplies. He would take along whatever ammunition and stimpaks he could find and then search for the source of the mutants.

The closer he got towards the tree, the more he could make out a tent-shaped glow. He didn’t set up the tent. Had Janus? No, she would’ve said something had she done it. He ran, his heart pumping with hope. Could she be alive?

A small campfire burned right outside the tent and four children, all boys, sat around it. One of them had Callum’s Legion cape wrapped around himself. They said not a word when he approached them.

“What is this?” he asked, his throat hoarse.

“A tent. Food. We helped Rose bring the lady here,” the one with Callum’s cape answered.

“Lady?” his heart leapt.

 _Janus?_ He thought.

The child shrugged. Without another word Callum pushed the tent flap open and crawled inside.

A girl who could’ve passed for Janus’ little sister met Callum’s eyes. She then looked away and scooted out of his line of sight.

The Centurion gasped. Janus, looking barely alive, lay on a sleeping bag, her clothes cut off. Dried blood was all over her face and arms and legs. Her arms were patched with gauze and her lips were swollen with a cut. But her right leg, bright red with angry stitches keeping the wound closed, stood out the most.

His heart swelled. She was alive. He didn’t consider himself a very emotional man, but he wanted to cry. He wanted to grab Janus, hold her in his arms, and give thanks to every god above that she was still his. He wanted to claim every inch of her, again and again, just to make sure she was real.

“She’s alive, but she needs blood,” the girl squeaked out.

His gaze moved from Janus to the little girl’s. “You did all this? How?”

Her cheeks turned red. “My daddy was a doctor. I helped him all the time.”

Impressed, Callum nodded. “She can have my blood. We’re the same type.”

The girl nodded. “Okay. Let’s get set up.”

He watched the girl work, yet again impressed with her knowledge. He sat calmly next to Janus, watching his blood flow through the tube and into his beloved. He picked up Janus’ hand, and for the first time, noticed she was wearing his ring. Using a spare piece of gauze, he cleaned between her fingers, wiping away all traces of blood.

He had to admit, he found pleasure in seeing that ring on her finger. He was allowed to take a wife or two, but Janus was the only one he wanted. Maybe his feelings would change, but he doubted it. He brushed his lips against her knuckles before placing her hand back on her stomach.

She moaned and Callum immediately reacted.

“Janus,” he whispered.

“C—Callum? Is that you?”

“Yes, my love,” he smiled.

“What happened?” she murmured between moans.

“I burned the fort,” he shrugged.

“No, no…I meant me…what happened to me?”

“You were hurt badly. We’re doing a blood transfusion right now.”

“Oh…okay.”

He found it funny she just accepted what was happening, no other questions asked. She quieted, but just when he thought she went back to sleep, she said,

“Callum…we’re going to kill those fucking mutants.”


	5. Janus

Nearly a day had passed and Janus insisted on following Callum to find the source of the super mutants. Taking high doses of med-x helped her function like normal, but her skin, still sensitive, itched and burned where her clothes touched her. Her leg ached, but she was glad it showed no signs of an infection.

When it came time to shoulder her pack, she winced with every movement.

“You need to stay here,” Callum stated.

“I’m not staying here.”

“If I were to order you, would you obey?”

She stopped struggling with her pack and sighed. “You know I would. For you I would crawl through hot coals on my stomach if you commanded it.” Her cerulean eyes met his. “You wouldn’t really order me to stay behind…would you?”

He shook his head. “You’d slow me down. You’re badly injured, _amata_.”

“But you don’t even know where we’re going!” she protested. “And besides, I have your blood flowing through my veins. I can take on the world with your strength.”

“You don’t know either,” he shot back. He softened instantly when she brought up the subject of the transfusion. “My blood can only do so much. Your leg….”

“Let’s not discuss my injuries. We need to find out where the mutants are coming from,” she insisted.

The tent flap opened, and the little girl that could’ve passed for Janus’ little sister popped her head inside.

“I know where they are.”

The Centurion and mercenary exchanged looks, not sure whether to tell her to get the hell out of the tent or demand the location of the mutants.

“Speak, child,” Janus ordered.

The girl entered the tent and stood toe to toe with Callum. The Centurion made the child appear dwarf-like in stature, but she held her ground against the warrior.

“I’ll tell you if you let me go,” she said clearly and firmly.

Janus could sense that Callum was surprised at her audacity.

“You’d have a better life with us than on your own,” Callum replied, looking down at the child. “You’re a cute girl. You’d grow up to be a pretty Priestess. Doesn’t that sound nice? Wearing fancy dresses and jewelry?”

The girl pursed her lips. “I know what my life would be like with you, Legion dog. I’d rather freeze in the snow than follow you.”

Janus was shocked. How could a child as young as she possess such knowledge about the Legion? The mercenary looked to Callum, who was trying very hard not to kill the girl.

“How about I leave you here to rot?” he sneered.

“My liege,” Janus cleared her throat. “Take the deal.”

“We won’t know if she’s telling the truth!” he exclaimed.

Janus sighed. “She will if she wants to live. If she wanted to kill us, she would’ve done so already. She’ll wait for us to leave, take what little supplies we have, and take off.”

“How do you know that’s what she’ll do?”

The pretty mercenary smiled wryly. “Because it’s what I would do. I’ve done it before.”

Callum shook his head. “I have a better deal. You tell what we want to know, and we let you go in exchange for the lives of your friends. A life for a life,” Callum smiled coldly.”Say nothing, and I’ll slaughter you all.”

The child hesitated. Janus hobbled over to where Callum stood and took his arm to balance herself. Her eyes stared deep into the little girl’s.

“He means it, little one. Make your choice.”

Tears welled up in the girl’s eyes. “I can’t do that.”

Callum unsheathed his machete. Janus held a hand up to make him pause.

“Why not, child?” Janus asked.

“The boys…they’re gone. They ran away in the night,” she cried.

Callum sheathed his machete. Damn it, he hated it when girls’ would start sobbing. “Show us where the mutants live. Then I want you to run away. Far away. I never want to see you again. Do you know why?”

The girl shook her head.

“Because you saved my Janus, I will spare your life, but just this once. If I see you ever again, I will kill you. I am not normally a merciful man, and I hope your feeble little brain can comprehend the weight of my words. Do you understand?”

She nodded. “I—I’ll be outside.”

Once she left, Janus stared open-mouthed at her superior. “Spare her? What possessed you?”

He shrugged. “How good would it look, the two of us returning to the fort with one little girl? She’s hardly worth the effort. And, well, she did save your life.”

“But you meant it when you said you would kill her.”

“Of course I meant it. Have you ever known me to lie?”

She said nothing. “Help me with my pack. Let’s get the job done. It’s getting fucking cold.”

 

~

 

The girl, the one that the boys’ called Rose led Callum and Janus two miles away from the encampment. The journey to the bunker was a long one for Janus, and rather than waste time waiting on her to catch up, Callum carried her on his back.

Embarrassed and humiliated that she had to be carried, she buried her face in his cloak.

“I’m sorry. If I were a part of your century, I’d deserve to die,” she whispered in his ear. “You should put me down and kill me. I’m useless.”

“Shut up, Janus. You’re not in my century. You’re my wife. I’m not going to kill my wife.”

Her cheeks warmed. “I’m your wife?”

“You’re wearing my ring.”

She held her hand out and studied the steel band on her finger. “It’s not official.”

“Of course it’s not. I don’t need a piece of paper to tell me who you are to me.”

“Callum, _te amo_ ,” she said softly. “How do you feel about having children?”

He froze. “What? Are you—what? No, I—what?”

“I—” she started.

“We’re here,” Rose's voice cut in.

Callum set Janus down and the two approached the metal hatch recently cleared of snow. The little girl pointed at the hatch.

“They mostly come out at night. Mostly.”

“How do you know this?” Janus asked.

The girl shrugged. “My daddy tracked them here.”

“Is there anything your daddy didn’t teach you?” Callum sneered.

The girl ignored him. “Can I go now?”

“Go,” Janus nodded.

After the girl took off running, Janus muttered, “What an unusually knowledgeable child.”

Callum opened the hatch and looked down into the darkness. “Forget her. We have mutants to kill.”

The mercenary bit her lip. “We’re not seriously going down there? We have no idea how deep and wide this bunker is. It could be filled with radiation for all we know.”

He was already descending into the bunker. “It doesn’t matter. We’ll find out. Follow me.”

Janus stared at the little girl’s footprints in the snow. How odd that the girl seemed to have a destination already in mind when she fled…


	6. Rose

She ran and ran, never stopping even when she stumbled in the snow. She had to get to the shack. Her job was done.

When the shack came into view she shoved her way in through the door and collapsed in the only chair in the small living space. At the small table in front of her sat a radio. Her fingers frozen, she painfully turned the dial to the right frequency.

“I don’t know if you’re there, but I brought you two humans in exchange for my parents. Please let them go.”

No one answered.

“Please let my mom and dad go,” she pleaded.

Static, then a voice that wasn’t human replied. “I killed them.”

Her heart shattered. She sat frozen in her chair, staring blankly at the wall across from her. She knew in her heart that her parents were dead, but she held out a small sliver of hope that they were alive. She had sensed their deaths for awhile now, but to have if confirmed…she felt foolish for believing a stupid brute of a mutant that he wouldn’t kill her mother and father.

Nothing had worked out for her family since they moved to New Haven. The small fort and its surrounding settlement was nothing but a death trap. If it wasn’t the animals that were harassing them, it was the mutants. And if it wasn’t the mutants, it was the Khans.

And taking into account the last day or so, the Legion wanted to harm them too. She regretted saving the lady, Janus, since she belonged to the man in red. They could both rot in the bunker for all she cared. They both had threatened her and her friends and deserved to be torn apart.

Angry, she picked up the radio and threw it against the wall. It cracked and landed on the floor with a heavy thump. She kicked it and crushed it until it was nothing but busted parts and ripped wires.

There was nothing else to do. She would take a nap on the sleeping bag that was left behind in the shack and then catch up with her friends.


	7. Callum

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Desmond 'Des' O'Connor is Callum's brother. (Nick is Callum's original name.) Both characters are creations of my friend Drew.

The bunker was dark, save for the faint glow of fluorescent lights further down the hallway. It felt strange yet familiar to be underground again. Beneath his boots the metal walkway ground against the walls and shifted in a downwards slope with each step. The floor was wet from the snow that fell inside when they opened the hatch.

“Be careful. Footing isn’t stable,” he whispered to Janus.

He walked down the hall slowly, allowing the female mercenary behind him to keep pace. A chill ran over his spine and he desperately tried to push away the thoughts of his past that threatened to overtake him.

_“Nick! Nick, don’t leave me!”_

_No,_ Callum thought. _Des is dead. And so is…_

_“Nick! I can’t…breathe…”_

_The coughing was violent and the shivers that followed were equally violent. The broken power armor…the missing helmet…the useless laser rifle…the snow…_

_“Nick! Help me!”_

Callum’s world melted in front of his eyes, and the bunker’s walls shifted to match the ones in his memory.

_The behemoth ran through the streets, pushing aside cars and broken buildings, swinging a sledgehammer so large it couldn’t be lifted by one person, let alone two. The snow was falling heavily, the eerie green glow creating a holographic effect on the angry mutant. The monster was pushing his way through shelters and camps, scattering people into the dark streets all over Detroit, for no apparent reason._

He remembered there were six of them in total. Himself, Des, and four other men that he couldn’t remember, their names and faces unknown, buried and lost within the deepest recesses of his soul. Did it matter who they were?

_They held the mutant at bay, but the more they retreated, the faster the fucker advanced, that damned sledgehammer swinging closer and closer until—_

_“DES!” Nick screamed._

_His brother went down, his laser rifle knocked out of his hands. It went spinning off in the darkness, but Des and Nick both knew trying to find the weapon was useless. Nick screamed, the sound echoing inside his helmet. He raced to his brother, forgetting for the moment that a behemoth was trying to kill them all._

_Des was limp. Nick’s gloved fingers ran across the power armor, feeling cracks and gouges from the recent blow._

_“Des! DES!” he screamed._

_There was no response. Though removing his helmet most assuredly meant his kin would develop pneumonia, Nick had to know if he was breathing. But now wasn’t the time to take it off._

_“NICK!” someone screamed. “WATCH OUT!”_

_Acting completely on instinct, Nick grabbed his brother and rolled away from the behemoth. The sledgehammer pounded into the ground right where the O’Connor brothers once lay._

_“Holy fucking shit!” Nick breathed. “Where’s the fucking launcher?”_

_He didn’t have to wonder for long. Another member of their group lay dead in the snow fifty feet away, the launcher slack in the corpse’s grasp._

_“NICK!”_

_His helmeted head whipped around to see someone dragging Des away from the battle. Not wasting a second, he crouch walked and snatched up the missile launcher. The mutant had finished struggling getting his weapon out of the snow and turned his attention to Nick._

_Nick ran, searching for a good place to take out the mutant. The last thing he wanted to do was take out his team or himself with his own splash damage. It was damn difficult to see in the snow, and he hated every flake that fell in front of his visor._

_He spotted cars piled into a pyramid like shape. If he could reach the top, he could fire his missile. He scaled the cars easily despite wearing heavy power armor and toting a missile launcher on his back._

_He had to hurry. The behemoth wasn’t too far behind. He made it to the top and swung the launcher over his shoulder, aiming, and preparing to fire. The mutant wasn’t straying; it was like he was following a pre-determined path that would lead him straight to Nick’s missile._

_“Eat this,” he murmured._

_The missile hit its target, blowing a couple of limbs off the mutant and leaving a messy hole in its torso. Nick jumped his way down the cars and approached the monster carefully. It was a smoking hole amidst the green snow. He dropped the launcher and took out his laser rifle. He screamed, firing shot after shot at the already dead behemoth’s head. His weapon clicked on empty but his trigger finger didn’t stop._

_“Nick!”_

_His head throbbed and his body ached. Blood pumped fiercely through his veins and his rage had yet to even begin to subside._

_“It’s Des! DES! Nick! DES needs you!”_

_Des…_

_He snapped out of his murderous haze and grabbed the launcher. Des needed him._

_Nick arrived at the scene where Des lay. Someone removed his helmet and Nick wanted to kill whoever did. But all he said was,_

_“We need to get back to the bunker NOW.”_

_Des was dragged back to the bunker, and the only consolation Nick had been his brother was breathing. They reached their home quickly, but to Nick it felt like hours. They opened the hatch and practically jumped inside._

_It was warm and safe, the metal walls a cocoon of serenity that they could wrap themselves with. The other member went to fetch the doctor, leaving Nick alone with his brother. Lacking the strength to carry them both and the launcher, the brothers sat in the hall._

_Des’ face was covered in sweat, his hair sticking to his scalp. Blood poured from his left ear and to Nick’s dismay, he started coughing, his whole body heaving with every breath. Feeling helpless, Nick stood to go check on the doctor._

_Des reached out and grabbed his arm. “Nick! Nick, don’t leave me!”_

_He clutched Nick’s arm so tightly he couldn’t leave. His eyes opened, the pupils dilated. “Nick! I can’t…breathe…”_

_Nick was frightened. His brother’s lips were turning blue._

_“Nick! Help me!”_

_Frozen, all he could do is watch as his brother succumbed to pneumonia._

_“Out of the way,” a tough female voice cut in._

_It was the doctor, finally. Des’ arm went slack and Nick moved out of the way._

_“Nick! Don’t…go…Nick!”_

_“NICK!”_

_“NICK!”_

“Callum!”

The walls went back to normal. The ground was empty, devoid of a body encased in power armor. The melting snow wasn’t green.

Janus was ahead of him, waiting patiently at the end of the hallway. She looked concerned and worried, her cerulean eyes showing faint traces of tears. “You kept screaming.”

He shook his head. Had he been screaming? How was that possible?

“Are you all right?” she asked, hesitant.

He barely smiled. “I’m fine.”

He caught up to her and took her hand within his, squeezing it slightly. “Fine.”

She stared at him, her eyes scanning him like she wasn’t sure she believed his words. She opened her mouth to say something but closed it. She repeated this motion twice before finally meeting his eyes once again. Her lower lip quivered.

“Who is Des?”

There were many things he could confess to Janus. There were no secrets between them, save this one. He loved her more than he thought himself capable and treating her callously was something that never crossed his mind.

Which was why Janus burst into tears after he dropped her hand and continued to walk into the bunker. Wiping her eyes, she had no choice but to follow him, her question unanswered.


End file.
